The Time in Between
by Shasta627
Summary: Set during the epilogue of The Diamond of Darkhold, this story focuses on Lina and Doon as they face dangers from outside the town of Sparks, and are at long last forced to examine the relationships they have between each other.
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

The town of Sparks had prospered greatly since the arrival of the Emberites, and it had also become very well known to roamers and small, surrounding villages. Even through all the hardship, famine,drought, and freezing, the once small town had managed to thrive.

It had been nearly five years since the refugees of Ember had come stumbling into the town, and almost all of them had settled down comfortably after their first year living in Sparks. The town had almost doubled in size since then, and Sparks was constantly greeting new roamers and arrivals from other villages, looking for a new start.

"And that's what Sparks is," Mary Waters, one of the three town leaders, stated. "It's a place of beginnings; a place to start a better life."

Many people came to live in Sparks from towns both near and far, knowing that the growing city was prospering far more quickly than any other town, and that in Sparks , they would be safe from most dangers - such as freezing, wolves, and famine. Though Sparks had another contributing factor that seemed to lure people to the city, and that was The Diamonds.

Word of the diamonds spread quickly throughout all the neighboring towns, thanks to the roamers and messengers that traveled to those places, and the diamonds themselves slowly dispersed to these towns through trading and bargaining. Everyone had been amazed when they heard about the diamonds. _Sparks had figured out a device that made electricity?_ They often marveled to themselves. Some were quite dubious of the fact, calling it a hoax or a trick, but were just as amazed as everyone else when they saw the diamonds work with their own eyes. Soon, everyone within a one hundred mile radius of Sparks had a diamond, or at least heard of or seen one. Of course, none of this would have been possible had it not been for two unique individuals named Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow.

Lina and Doon were almost as well known as the diamonds themselves. It had been the two that discovered the diamonds while on a mission to save the city, and it had also been them that discovered how they worked. With their help, Sparks had found a way to create electricity, and they were eager to share their discovery with others. That was one of the many reasons Lina had become a messenger. She would ride at least once a week on her handsome brown stallion, Fleet, to the five surrounding villages around Sparks - Brooks, Woodhaven, Oakridge, Pines, and Ashford - and deliver letters and packages so the towns could keep in touch. She also would deliver diamonds, and sometimes trade them for food or things that Sparks needed, and in this way the diamonds got around to everyone that needed one. Lina loved going on these "adventures," as she called them, for it gave her a chance to explore new places and meet new people. But in the back of her mind, she secretly hoped that she would find a city; the city of her imagination that she had drawn countless times in Ember. She knew the chances of her finding it were very slim, and that she would probably never see it in her lifetime, but that was one of the wondrous characteristics of Lina Mayfleet- she never gave up hope.

Doon Harrow shared a similar characteristic - he was determined, and he would not stop until he found a solution. It had been Doon that had had come up with a way to share the diamonds with others towns. He wrote a pamphlet explaining how the Diamonds worked and how to use them, and with the help of the school kids, there were enough copies so that every town could have one. This was one of the first things Lina delivered on her messenger journeys. With Doon's instruction manuals, the village people were able to work their diamonds without any problem. Doon didn't just write manuals though, he also came up with some inventions of his own, like a device that opened jars and cans without someone having to puncture the lid, and a type of steel pipe that immediately warms water when it runs through it. Once these prototypes were successful, he would make more inventions just like it, and send them with Lina or another roamer traveling to the other cities, so that they could use them as well. It was in this way the two partners became known to the other towns as The Inventor and The Messenger, but to Sparks, they were always Lina and Doon- the town heroes.

·······

It was one of the last cool days of the season before the weather would change and turn terribly hot, so Doon decided to take advantage of this and take the long way home to the Pioneer Hotel. Very few people lived in the hotel anymore, for new houses were being built all over the town, and people would rather live in a house than an old, musty building. Doon would've liked to live in a house as well, but the only reason he wasn't was because he knew others needed the new homes more than he did, and he wanted to make sure they all had places to live first. It was one of those kind, selfless acts that Doon often did, and was humble about it as well, which made the people of the town like him even more. Doon had tried convincing his father, Loris Harrow, to move into to one of those houses, for he was older and needed a proper bed to sleep on. But Doon's father objected, saying he was tough and would be fine, and plus, he wanted to stay with his only son.

"I appreciate you wanting to keep me company father, but I'm eighteen! I can live here by myself. And besides, there are still others living in the building as well," Doon had pointed out to his father one day.

But his father still objected, so Doon gave up trying to persuade him- at least for the time being.

Doon had just come from the library after helping his best friend, Lina, try and put together a torn up letter. She had told him it was for Edward Pocket, the town librarian, and she was hoping to have it put together in time before he returned. And so he had helped her, and together they managed to piece it together, all the while laughing and remembering doing something quite similar while in Ember. Doon smiled at the memory. He could remember running through the streets of Ember, with Lina at his side, both of them on a desperate race against time, trying to escape the city. He remembered how angry he had been when he couldn't figure out the torn up instructions, and how sure he had been that he could save the city single-handedly. Doon realized how much he had changed since then. He was no longer prideful (at least not as much as he had been in Ember) and he learned to keep his anger in check.

 _Lina's changed too_ , thought Doon as he continued on his walk. She wasn't as reckless as she had been, and though she was still often curious, her curiosity no longer got her into trouble or awkward situations. But at the same time, Lina hadn't changed. Sure, she had gotten taller, prettier, and more mature, but she was still hopeful, loving, and brave, as she had been in Ember. That's what Doon liked about her most.

Doon became lost in his thoughts about Lina and almost didn't hear his name being called.

"Doon! Doon! Are you deaf? I called your name at least a thousand times! Well, maybe five," came the small, high pitched voice of Lina's younger eight-year old sister, Poppy.

Doon smiled and waved and started up the path to the river, where he could see Poppy sitting. Poppy was like a little sister to him. He had known her since she was a toddler, and had watched her grow up in Sparks. When she was smaller, at around four or five, she would get upset that Lina would always leave on her messenger trips, so Doon would often come over to play with her, so she wouldn't be so lonely, and they had many made-up adventures together. Now that Poppy was older, she had found a new passion to replace her fairy tale games: swimming.

Doon came up to the rivers edge and sat down beside her. Poppy had her shoes off and had her pants rolled up to her knees, as she gingerly dipped her toes into the water. She immediately yanked them back out.

"It's...a little warmer," she said hopefully. Doon smiled, knowing that she had been waiting all winter to get back into the water. "Do you know if Edward still has that book about swimming at the library?" she asked, her large brown eyes staring up at him.

Doon nodded. "Yes, I'm pretty sure I saw it when I was there today, actually, with Lina-"

Poppy quickly cut him off. "Lina? She's home? I have to go see her!" she shouted gleefully, as she struggled to quickly put her shoes back on. She took off down the path when suddenly she stopped and backtracked. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, a roamer, Penny was her name - I think, came into town this afternoon, and is going to do trading tomorrow morning. She claims to have important news."

Doon nodded. "Thanks, I'll be there." Poppy once again ran down the path, grabbed her bicycle, and tried to ride off. She had just learned to ride before Lina left on her trip, and was still trying to get the hang of balancing on the seat. But after a few tries, she pedaled forward and disappeared around the corner.

Everyone was always excited when Lina came back to town. True, she was only gone for a few days at a time - a week at the longest - but everyone was eager to see if she found anything or anxious to hear her stories about the other towns. Doon was included in this group of people. He always missed her when she went out of town, mostly because she was going on all these adventures without him, but also because they had gotten so close in the past few years, it never felt right when she wasn't around.

When Lina had gone on her first messenger trip when she was thirteen, Doon remembered staying up all night, worrying that something would happen to his best friend, but Lina had proved herself capable of being able to travel these journeys alone. Though sometimes Doon, Torren, and just recently, Poppy, would go with her. Doon loved going on those trips with Lina. As much as he hated to admit it, he liked being alone with her, having her to himself. Lina was often surrounded by her friends or family, so it was nice being able to be with her with no one else butting in on their conversations.

Doon continued to sit by the river most of the afternoon, lost in his own thoughts and memories, until the air turned chilly and the sun started to set. He finally trekked up the last bit of the path to the hotel and went into the large dinning room, where everyone still living in the Pioneer ate their meals. He found his dad and sat next to him, while grabbing a bit of food on his way over.

"A roamer's coming tomorrow," Doon's father said.

Doon nodded, "I heard." He recognized the name of the roamer, Penny- Poppy had said, and remembered the last time she had come. She had brought lots of useful things, and always had interesting news to share.

 _I wonder what type of important news she has this time_ , thought Doon that evening, as he laid on a pile of blankets. And with that thought, he fell asleep.

 **Authors Note:**

 _ **Hey guys :) This is my first fanfic story, so I hope the first chapter was okay. Sorry it was kind of long and detailed, but I wanted to have a solid setting and explain things before I jumped right into the story dialogue. I promise It'll be a lot more interesting as the story goes on, with plenty of action/adventure and LinaxDoon relationship scenes, so please review if you feel so complied :)**_

 _ **Thanks! :D**_


	2. Chapter 2: The News

Lina felt as though she would drop to the floor from exhaustion. She had been traveling most of the day before she came into Sparks and stopped by the library. There she had found Doon, and in that short time with him she had gotten to relax. She didn't even try to deny to herself that it had been the best part of her day. Being with Doon always made her happy, for she felt she could be completely herself with him, and that she could tell him anything, even her darkest secrets, and she knew he would never tell. Doon was her friend - her best friend - yet there was something about him that made him different from Lizzie, Maddy, Kenny, or any of her other friends. He was special; not only because he had been her partner in escaping Ember, but because of something else, though Lina didn't know what. He was just... _special_.

After leaving the library, she had talked to at least three dozen groups of people, and had just now arrived to her house, even after being home for the whole afternoon. Lina walked Fleet to the barn behind the house while Poppy chatted away merrily.

"...and yesterday in school, Chester McCartney called Myna a PIG, which is some sort of animal. Miss Jillian said they're still somewhere on the planet, just not in Sparks. And then after she punished Chester, she showed us a picture of a pig, and _guess_ what color it was?" Poppy hopped up and down in excitement.

"I haven't the faintest idea," Lina said, though she already knew.

"It was Pink! _Pink_! Can you imagine a pink animal?"

"I guess. We saw that orange cat the other day. Orange is an unusual color for an animal," replied Lina, trying to stifle a yawn. The sun had set a while ago, and she knew that she and Poppy had already missed dinner. She tied up Fleet in the stable and closed the gate, as Poppy continued talking about how she had never seen a _purple_ animal before.

Lina walked to the front door of Dr. Hester's house and stepped inside. "We're home!" she announced to whoever was there. She heard the shuffling of a chair as Mrs. Murdo, Lina and Poppy's guardian, quickly hurried from her bedroom to meet them.

"Oh, Lina! It's so nice to have you back. Your trip was good, I hope?" Before Lina had a chance to answer, Mrs. Murdo turned to Poppy. "And where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I was when you didn't show up for dinner?"

"I'm sorry," Poppy replied innocently. "I was with Lina, and Lina was talking with lots of people, so we didn't get a chance to come home 'till now."

Mrs. Murdo sighed, but then smiled. "Yes, I know many of people are anxious to talk to Lina. Now, Poppy, let's get you some dinner and then it's off to bed."

Poppy nodded in compliance. "Yes, Mrs. Murdo." Then she dashed upstairs to the loft, where she and Lina slept.

Since Lina didn't want to live alone, or leave Poppy, she had decided to stay and live in the doctor's house, and Mrs. Murdo stayed as well, for she was the assistant doctor. But about two years ago, when the town got together to start building new homes, both Mrs. Murdo and Dr. Hester agreed that Poppy was getting too big for all three of them - Lina, Poppy and Mrs. Murdo - to share the upstairs room. They then requested to have a few extra rooms built onto the doctor's house- one for Mrs. Murdo, one for Torren (who was simply getting to big to sleep in the medicine room), and an extra room for guests or patients that needed to stay the night.

Lina sat down at the table as Mrs. Murdo set out two plates with some dried fruit, bread with jam, and beans on them. She and Mrs. Murdo then chatted about Lina's trip and the events that happened while she was gone.

"A roamer came into town today, and is trading goods tomorrow in the town square, so we'll have to make sure we're up and ready to go by tomorrow morning," Mrs. Murdo informed Lina as she ate her bread.

"And she brought important news!" Poppy exclaimed as she came down from the loft in her nightgown. She sat down next to Lina and started eating the food off her plate.

"Or so the roamer says," said a voice from the other room. Torren then came into view, frowning as he saw the food on the girls' plates.

"I thought you said there was no more dried fruit left," he stated accusingly. He then seemed to notice Lina, nodded at her - his way of saying 'hello' - and then went to the cupboards in search of more fruit.

"Well, there isn't anymore now. There had been just enough left for the girls, so I saved it for them," said Mrs. Murdo. Torren looked as though he were about to say some sort of retort, but shrugged instead. "Did you find anything interesting, Lina?" he asked, as he sat down and folded his arms across his chest. Torren had gotten a little more mature over the years, but you could still hear the jealousy in his voice when he asked about Lina's trips. He had always wanted to be roamer, like his older brother Casper, but had been told by both his Aunt Hester and Uncle Ben that he must be at least eighteen before they would let him go off and roam the lands. Unfortunately for Torren, he was only sixteen.

Lina gave him the usual update - description of the towns, the new people she met - while watching him try to pay close attention, as though he could become a roamer just by listening to her talk. His blue eyes were squinted, as though he was trying to see inside Lina's head, and his forehead wrinkled in concentration. His hair, as always, stood up in little blondish-brown tufts all around his head, and his lean body was bent forward slightly, so that he wouldn't miss a word Lina said. This was a look of deep concentration for Torren - a look he often acquired when he was trying to pay close attention to or study something.

Just as Lina finished giving her report, the door opened and Dr. Hester came in. "Oh, Hester, I'm glad you're home," said Mrs. Murdo, but the doctor was too distracted to hear her. She quickly bustled into kitchen put her basket of bandages into the cupboard before she turned around and noticed all four of them staring at her. She jumped in surprise.

"Goodness, you gave me quite a fright! I didn't expect you all up," she said. Then she stared at the ceiling, as if trying to remember something, then slapped a hand to her forehead and quickly went to the medicine room. "I forgot to make more of my poison oak remedy," came her muffled voice from the other side of the wall.

Mrs. Murdo stood up from her chair to go and help the doctor, but first said, "Poppy, as soon as you finish your food, put your plate in the tub by the counter and go up to bed. Lina, Torren - I would suggest you get some sleep as well." Then she hurried to the other room.

"I don't need sleep," mumbled Torren, who always disliked being told what to do.

"I seriously doubt _that_ ," Poppy said in response as she put her plate away. Then she turned around to face the two, saying, "Well, g'night Lina. 'Night Torren." Then she disappeared to the loft.

Lina smiled at the way Torren always seemed miffed when Poppy retorted to his retorts. She was only eight years old, and still she was even more outgoing than Lina had been at that age. She sometimes worried wether or not she was raising Poppy right - since both her parents had died be for Poppy was one. She worried if she was doing something wrong, or if she was supposed to be teaching her certain things but wasn't. It had helped having Mrs. Murdo share the responsibility of raising Poppy, but Mrs. Murdo had never had any kids, only a husband who had died during the coughing disease in Ember. But as Lina walked upstairs and saw Poppy snuggled into the blankets on her bed, she felt as though both her and Mrs. Murdo had done all right. Poppy was perfect to Lina, just as Lina was perfect to Poppy.

Lina undressed quickly and silently, then grabbed an old hair brush and walked over to the mirror above their dresser. She stared at her reflection. Her bright blue eyes shone even in the dim light, and her fair skin now had a splash of freckles across her nose. She brushed out her long hair, that had once been a dark brown, but had been turned light brown by the sun, and quickly braided it into a long rope down her back.

Lina walked over to Poppy and gently kissed her head. "Goodnight, sweetie," she whispered, and then got into her bed beside Poppy's and fell asleep.

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Lina awoke early to the sound of birds chirping. The night had felt too short, and Lina found herself still weary from her trip the day before. She glanced at the old, half working digital clock on the dresser, and was pretty sure it said about seven o'clock. She had found the clock on one her trips to the town of Brooks, and had taken it home and hooked it up to a diamond. It had been pretty useful, mainly in the winter when the sun didn't wake her up. But sometimes it made a loud buzzing sound randomly in the day, and the only way Lina could get it to stop was to unplug it, and plug it back in.

Lina glanced over to see Poppy's bed was empty. She stretched as she stood up, then got dressed and headed downstairs to find both Poppy and Torren up and eating breakfast.

"Good morning, Lina!" Poppy said cheerfully, as she grabbed a can of milk from their refrigerator. There weren't many people in town that had refrigerators or freezers, for they were expensive and needed multiple diamonds to power them, but the doctor had gotten both so she could have ice to give to patients and keep certain herbs or medicines cold, if needed.

Lina sat down with the two and they were soon joined by the doctor and Mrs. Murdo. After they had a quick breakfast and gathered their tradable items, they walked down to the plaza.

Lina once again marveled at the beauty of the town. Mountains rose up all around them in a valley, and the sun peaked up over their tips. All the trees had their leaves again, and the fruit trees next to the empty field all had little blossoms on them, in full bloom. _The town has grown so much since we first came,_ thought Lina, as she looked at all the clusters of houses surrounding the city. _Could this city grow and become the one in my drawings?_ she wondered. But as much as she wanted to find this city, she suddenly felt sad that this once small, peaceful little town might turn into a huge city with tall buildings and lots of people. She liked Sparks just as it was now, not too big, but not too small either. _It's perfect,_ she smiled to herself, and she felt a swell of pride for her city. Not Ember, but Sparks. Her _new_ city.

When they arrived to the plaza , it was already full with people. Everyone was out talking to each, passing time until the roamer was ready to start the trading. Torren had already started making his way towards the front, his Aunt and Mrs. Murdo following him.

Lina grabbed Poppy's arm and said above the noise, "I'm going to find Doon. Stay close to Mrs. Murdo so you don't get trampled." Poppy nodded and quickly caught up to Mrs. Murdo and the others, still trying to get through the throng of people.

Lina stood on her tiptoes, trying to scan the crowd. But even though Lina was taller than most girls, she could still barely see over anyone's head. She spotted a bench over by the fountain and stood up on it. Now that she was higher up, she could look down on top of everyone, and could easily spot Doon or his father when they came. But after a few minutes of surveying the crowd, Lina was starting to wonder whether he was going to come or not, for she couldn't seem to spot him anywhere.

"Who are we looking for?" a voice suddenly said in her ear. Lina jumped and almost slipped off the bench if Doon hadn't caught her. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you _that_ bad," he smirked jokingly as he took her hand and steadied her on her feet.

"Doon, I could've fallen!" Lina scolded, only half seriously.

"Good thing I caught you then," he smiled. Lina smiled back at him. Then, almost simultaneously, they both looked down and realized they were still holding each other's hand. Lina gently released his hand and turned the other way, suddenly feeling slightly shy. _What"s wrong with me?_ she thought, and to add to her perplexion, she felt her cheeks heat up. Doon either didn't notice or didn't care about her sudden strange behavior, for he hopped off the bench and said, "I think I see the roamer. Let's move closer to get a better view."

Thankful for the distraction, Lina followed suit and managed to slip through the crowd until they reached the front. The roamer had just entered the plaza, and everyone moved out of the way so she could pull her truck towards the front, where Lina and Doon were. The roamer had short copper hair that was pulled back into a braid and strong, muscular arms and legs - which was a handy feature for a roamer.

The roamer managed to get her wagon in position and then leaped onto the bed of the truck, and called out in a loud, clear voice, "Gather round, Gather round! I have items of great use, and important news! But first, let's start the trading!"

The roamer, who had confirmed her name was Penny, started by offering basic items, such as paper, a few candles, and pencils. Lina traded a bag of strawberries for some paper and pencils, for they were useful for messenger trips as well as drawing on. After a few pots and baskets were traded, Penny started bringing out the good items everyone wanted - electronic devices. There were fans, heaters, a string that had little light bulbs attached to it, and light bulbs themselves. Lina kept waiting for Doon to bid on some of these items, but he said he would save his diamond - what he was trading with - for something else.

Once the electronics were gone, Penny brought out a few more items most people regarded as useless. There were little toys and figurines, some dog collars, an old purse, and some jewelry. Normally Lina had no interest in jewelry, but when Penny held up some necklaces, one in particular caught Lina's eye.

It was a beautiful blue stone, the color of the sky on a cloudless day, encased in silver outlining and hanging on a delicate silver chain. It reminded her of Sparks, and all its beauty. "It's gorgeous," Lina breathed, her eyes transfixed on the jewel. Doon pointed to the one she was staring at. "That one?" he questioned. She nodded. She wanted to buy it, but then remembered she had already spent her items on paper and pencils. It was a strange sort of longing she had for the piece of jewelry, and it reminded her of another time long ago in Ember. She had felt that same sort of yearning for the color pencils in Luper's shop, and remembered how it had almost gotten Poppy lost or trampled during the blackout that had happened right afterwards. _But what harm could come out of a piece of jewelry_? she thought. But before she could even ask how much it was, the roamer put them away. Lina looked down at her feet, slightly disappointed, but then snapped her head back up in attention when the roamer called for silence so she could share her news.

"I just went to Brooks a few days ago, " she started, "and it was there I got the news. Now at first it was just a rumor, but then it became a fact when we got wind of what happened." She said all of this in a mysterious, ominous tone, as though she was telling a ghost story on a dark, stormy night.

"What happened?" called an impatient voice from the crowd.

"It was bandits!" Penny suddenly shouted. "Bandits have attacked the town of Shiloh, just north of Oakridge! And it's said," she paused for dramatic effect, "they're to come and attack Sparks next!"

 _ **Authors Note:**_

 _ **Hope you like the new chapter! Sorry it took longer for me to put this one up. I wanted to add that in this chapter there might be a few parts that don't make sense right away, but they will reveal their purpose later in the story (in case anyone's confused). I also just want to give a special shoutout to leafysummers for being the first to review my story! I really appreciate it :)**_

 _ **Please comment or review and tell me what you think!**_

 _ **Thanks :D**_


	3. Chapter 3: A Detailed Appearance

At first there was just silence. Everyone was trying to comprehend the fact the roamer had just so bluntly announced. _Bandits? In Sparks_? was what many people thought. Others simply scoffed the idea, thinking Sparks was too big, too grand of a town to be attacked by bandits. And yet some feared; they feared for their lives and the others around them, and worried about what would happen to the town.

Doon was at first stunned - like most people were. Then he tried thinking about what the roamer said. _She said the bandits_ _might_ _come to Sparks,_ he calmly reasoned in his head. _There's no way to be sure unless she heard them herself_. This thought gave Doon some comfort, but he was still as wary as everyone else.

After the fact had sunk in, the silence was shattered with hundreds of voices all talking at once. Doon slapped his hands over his ears as the people behind him kept screaming at the roamer to be more specific.

"When are they coming?" and "How many are there?" were the shouts Doon could make out over the other noise. Then the crowd started pressing forward, trying to hear if Penny would say anything more. Doon felt people shoving him from behind and bodies pressing against him from all sides. He heard a shout from his right and realized Lina was trying to call out to him. He managed to grab her hand before she got swept away by the crowd, and pulled her close so they wouldn't get separated. If Doon wasn't so focused on keeping Lina and himself from being trampled, he would've enjoyed having her so close to him. In the back of his mind, he had been secretly hoping to be able hold her in his arms like he was now, but not in this type of circumstance.

Suddenly there came shouting from the front, and Doon glanced up to see the three town leaders -Mary Waters, Ben Barlow, and Wilmer Dent- standing in the bed of the truck with Penny, shouting for silence and order. Finally after shouting the message a few more times, there was silence again.

"Thank you," Ben told the crowd rather coldly, "lets let her finish her story," and then turned back to the roamer and said, "What else do you know about these... _bandits?_ "

Penny scratched her chin, then said, "Well, when they attacked Shiloh - and completely destroyed the town, by the way -" she added, much to the crowds dismay, "- one of the survivors who escaped to Brooks said he had overheard the bandits talking about the route they were traveling on. He said he didn't hear _everything_ they were discussing, but he was absolutely, _completely_ certain he heard them talking about Sparks, so he figured that's were they were headed next."

"And these bandits were just discussing their plans in front of him...?" said Wilmer doubtfuly.

Penny shook her head, making her braid swing back and forth across her neck. "He said he was hiding in one of the buildings," she said, reverting into her story telling mode again. "He was hiding 'neath the bed when the bandits entered, thinking the place was empty. Then they started discussing their plans and where they'd head next. He said he was trying to listen, but was trying even harder to stay still, and not make a sound. Lucky for him those thieving scoundrels didn't discover his hiding place, or else he wouldn't have been alive to tell me all this!"

Doon felt as though something was off about the roamers story, but was too distracted by what Penny was saying next to put much thought on it. "The man said there was about six or seven of them in the room, but he knew there was more outside, cause he could hear them," she was addressing the crowd again, waving her arms around animatedly as she talked. "He said he heard horses, and wolves, and lots of screaming."

The crowd started murmuring. _Wolves? Lots of screaming?_ Doon thought. He could understand screaming, but wolves? Lina (Doon had let go of her after the danger of being trampled had passed) must've been having the same thoughts, for she turned her face towards Doon and frowned, with her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"Wolves?" Lina whispered to Doon, then added, "maybe it was dogs instead." Doon shrugged. It was a theory, but why would bandits keep dogs with them? The only thing the few dogs in Sparks did was bark, dig holes, and go to the bathroom everywhere.

Doon turned back to Penny, who continued to speak. "He also told me he saw one of the bandits. It was the leader, he said. He even managed to get a glimpse of his appearance! The man said the bandit had clear, cloudy eyes, blue hair, and a wolf clinging to his back, and -"

"Wait, just stop a minute," interrupted Ben. "What do you mean clear, cloudy eyes? They contradict each other! And blue hair? No one has blue hair! And a wolf on his back? This is absurd! I suggest you tell us what the man really said, and cut all this nonsense," Ben ordered, looking more annoyed than before.

Penny shook her head and turned towards the town leaders. "Sorry, but that's how he described him, and I just quoted him word for word."

"Perhaps you can tell us who provided you with this information," Mary asked firmly.

"Cordy Booth, did."

The three town leaders looked surprised at the sound of the name, and a few people from the crowd gasped.

"Cordy Booth, as in, the tall, skinny, balding man who was known for his compulsive lying and story exaggerating?" Wilmer asked timidly, as though afraid of the answer.

"Well, the first part was right, about his appearance and such, but I don't know 'bout the lying stuff," remarked the roamer.

Ben sighed slightly, put a hand up to his forehead and closed his eyes. "Well, if we are indeed talking about same man, then we've, uh, had some... _experiences,_ with him, you might say," Wilmer explained. "You see, before the Emberites came, Booth used to live in Sparks, until he hitched a ride with a roamer into the outer lands. He would always come up with these, uh, _hairbrained_ stories, and try to convince people they were true, and well, after a while it kind of became a well known fact, that -"

"The point is," Ben cut off Wilmer's rambling with a stern voice, "Booth got a bad reputation here because of his stories and lies, and no one knew when to trust him. And I still wouldn't trust him, as a matter of fact. He probably just made up this whole story!"

The crowd started stirring and talking amongst themselves. "I think I remember Torren mentioning this guy," Lina told Doon. "He said he caused a lot of trouble one season, and was banished from Sparks. Although I'm not completely sure that Torren's story was right either - cause he also exaggerates things."

Doon nodded, deep in thought about all the events that had just taken place. What he had thought was going to be a normal roamer visit had turned out to be one of the most exciting things that had happened to Doon in the last few months. Yet there was still something about the whole story that seemed _wrong_ to Doon. It was like a giant puzzle that had missing pieces, and the missing pieces had been hidden where no one would ever look. And for some strange reason, Doon felt as though the Cordy Booth man _hadn't_ made the story up. Despite what Ben and everyone else thought, it seemed like a lot of trouble to go through to make up a whole ridiculous story about bandits with blue hair and wolves on their backs. _There has to be some truth to it all,_ thought Doon.

Apparently Mary thought the same as Doon, for she told Penny, "Thank you for alerting us to the potential danger." Then she turned back to the crowd and said, "The trading is over for today. Please return to your homes and await further notice from us leaders. I would suggest everyone stay indoors for the rest of the day, and only go outside for extreme necessities. We will take caution of the matter, and hopefully solve this predicament soon. Thank you."

Ben, who was standing right beside Mary, huffed in disbelief and whispered something to her. Doon couldn't tell what he was saying, but figured it was something about not having to take precautions, for he believed that Booth was crazy. Mary shook her head firmly, and mumbled, "Just in case," loud enough for Doon to hear.

"You are all dismissed," Mary commanded to the crowd. Everyone quickly shuffled back to their houses, all talking about the different possibilities of what would happen to their town.

"Doon, I've got to go find Poppy and Mrs. Murdo. I'll see you soon," Lina said, and dashed off in search of her family.

Doon nodded, though he knew she couldn't see him. "See you soon then," he mumbled. He was kind of disappointed she had run off like that, for he was hoping he would be able to talk to her about the strange 'Bandit Mystery', as he called it. It seemed exciting yet frightening to know bandits were going to possibly come to the town. _Maybe Lina and I can stop them, and save the town...again,_ Doon thought. He didn't care about the credit or recognition he would receive for saving Sparks, he was just anxious to do something -something exciting. And finding these bandits and stopping them, with Lina at his side, seemed like just the thing.

Doon had just turned to leave and find his father when a sudden thought about what Lina had said earlier that morning, during the trading, struck him. He glanced down at the diamond in his pocket, and turned back to the roamers truck, where Penny was piling up all of her items into large crates. He slowly walked up to her, contemplating his idea, and then made his decision.

"Hey Penny, I was wondering if I could buy one of your items that you showed earlier," Doon said.

"Well, if I still have it, you can buy it," the roamer remarked.

"Well, you see, I want to buy this necklace..."

 _ **Authors Note:**_

 ** _I'm so so sorry it took so long to upload this chapter! And I promise things will make sense later in the story, but just bare with me now. I'm trying to tie in a mystery with the rest of the story as well, so I'm hoping for the best._**

 ** _Review and tell me what you think!_**

 ** _Thanks! :)_**


	4. Chapter 4: Doon's Plans

Lina had found Mrs. Murdo, Poppy. Dr. Hester, and Torren standing by a bench, almost as though they were waiting for her to find them. Lina had immediately took Poppy's hand in her own and asked, "Are you alright? You're not scared, or anything, are you?"

Poppy gave her a quizzical glance. "About bandits? I'm eight years-old, they don't scare me!"

Torren gave a small scoff and Lina saw him roll his eyes. She cast him a glare and then turned back to Poppy and smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're not scared. You're probably braver then most people here." Poppy beamed at the compliment.

"Brave or not, we still need to listen to the town leaders and return to our homes," Mrs. Murdo chimed into to their conversation. She clutched the bag holding her items she had purchased against her side, and started off in a brisk pace back towards their house. Dr. Hester followed her, checking her bag to make sure she hadn't forgotten any items of her own, and occasionally looking behind her, as though she were making sure bandits weren't following her.

"I bet this is all just a big ruse," Torren told Lina as they walked. "I remember this Cordy Booth - well, sort of - but I'm sure he just made up this whole story so he could scare people and get some attention."

Lina listened to him ramble a bit more about how some people are just attention hoggers _(Kind of like you_ , Lina speculated) until he had stopped talking long enough for her tell him her own suspicions.

"I agree with you that the story seems kind of unbelievable, but the question is - what if he's telling the truth? I mean, he might have a bad reputation for lying, but that doesn't mean he _never_ tells the truth. But either way, I agree with Mary about being prepared, just in case. We don't want a repeat of the town of Shiloh." Lina could hear Penny's words echoing in her head, _They completely destroyed the town_ , _by the way_ , and shivered despite the warm temperature that morning.

To keep her mind off of the looming dangers that could possibly await Sparks, she decided to remind herself of how she had managed all of the other bad situations the town had been through. Of course, there was the Emberites first winter, and how almost everyone had starved until they discovered a way to bring food back from Ember. Then the summer following that, a patch of dry grass had somehow caught on fire and burnt down three houses. No one had been hurt - thankfully - and the rest of the town pitched in right away to build new homes for these families, despite the searing heat. Then just about a year and a half ago, a disease had broken out among the town, and many had suffered from it, including Lina herself. She remembered how it had been, lying on the window seat in the doctor's living room for almost five days straight, with a burning throat, pounding headache, and loss of the ability to keep food in her stomach. According to the doctor, she had only a minor variation of the disease, though it felt much worse in the time being. Looking back at it now, she realized she really had been lucky to have only the 'minor variation,' for other townsfolk had died from the full disease. That hardship had probably taken the hardest toll on most of the town, but they still managed to rid the disease in the end, by looking up medicine formulas in one of the books at the Ark, and finding a cure.

Although some of these memories were sad and reminded Lina of all of Sparks' hard times, they still gave her hope. Her city had prevailed against all the dangers and trials they had faced, and she was certain they could do it again.

·······

The next morning at breakfast, Lina was startled to hear a knock at the door. Mrs. Murdo and Dr. Hester looked up from their breakfasts, and exchanged uneasy glances. "Everyone's supposed to stay in their homes..." Mrs. Murdo started saying.

"And only leave for an extreme necessity," finished Lina, wiping her mouth with her napkin. "Whoever it is probably got hurt and needs your help, doctor," said Lina as she crossed the room and opened the door. She didn't know who she was expecting it to be, but she definitely wasn't expecting it to be Doon.

"Doon?" she questioned.

"Yes, that is my name. Why do you look so surprised?" he asked smiling, as he walked past Lina and let himself into her house.

Lina suddenly felt concerned. Doon wouldn't have come to the doctors unless it was some emergency.

"Are you alright?" Lina asked frettfully, closing the door.

Doon frowned. "Of course I'm all right."

"Are you sick?" asked Lina.

"No."

"Hurt?"

"No."

In danger?"

"No - and why would I come to the doctor's if I was in danger?"

Lina ignored his question. "Then why are you here?" she asked exasperatedly.

"To come talk to you," he responded simply. Lina didn't even try to hide her confused and shocked expression. Didn't he know that he was disobeying the town leader's orders?

Mrs. Murdo, who had been watching them from the kitchen, came into the room, a frown upon her face. "Doon, we have no objection to you coming and visiting us, but shouldn't you be at your home, with your father? You didn't leave him all alone, did you?" she asked, more concern lacing her voice. Lina and Doon, and pretty much the whole town, for that matter, knew the special relationship between Mrs. Murdo and Doon's father. Although the two would never admit it, both Lina and Doon knew they cared about each other deeply, and would be heartbroken if anything happened to the other.

Doon gave Mrs. Murdo a small, assuring smile. "Of course not! He is with all the other inhabitants at the Pioneer Hotel, completely safe from bandits or anything else."

"Well, that's...reassuring to hear," replied Mrs. Murdo, relief evident on her face. She then quickly changed her countenance to a more stern, reprimanding one as she looked up at Doon. "But it was quite foolish of you to come out here all by yourself, especially with the possibility of bandits attacking. Didn't you hear anything Mary, Wilmer, and Ben said yesterday, about staying inside until further notice?"

Doon nodded his head. "Yes, I did hear them," he answered in a polite, respectful voice. Then he cleared his throat and took a deep breath, a sign Lina recognized as a symbol that he was about to give some sort of a speech or lecture. "But if I may add, I know the leaders told us to all 'stay inside' so we would be 'safe,' but I think we would be better off if we were trying to figure out a solution as a whole _town_ , not just leaving it up to the town leaders to decide. We might as well just be sitting ducks, waiting to be captured by bandits or whatever else there is out there. That's why I disobeyed, and I think that if we could talk to others and the town leaders, we could come up with a foolproof plan that could rid us the prospect of having to fight the bandits, and we could spare Sparks the danger of being massacred like Shiloh."

The doctor was now standing next to Mrs. Murdo, listening to Doon's speech as well. "In my personal opinion, I think that Cordy Booth was telling the truth, and he had a very obscure way of telling it. Since he was apparently such an avid liar, I think that after a while people started to disregard everything he said, thinking it was just a lie, even though it may have been the truth. So he had to come up with a way to get people listening to him again. My bet is that instead of using adjectives to describe normal, everyday things, he started using obscure words to describe details or someone's appearance. That way, people would remember what he said and put some thought into his words, and ultimately, they would pay attention to him again. And after a while, I think it became a habit for him, to describe things using vague words that seem to have no meaning. So when he tried to explain the appearance of the bandit leader, out of habit he described him using the technique he had been using the past few months or however long he was using it. There has to be _some_ meaning behind the terms 'clear, cloudy eyes,' 'blue hair', and a 'wolf on his back,' and I think it's up to us to figure the meaning out. And if we do, we can help stop this attack, and possibly save people's lives." Doon paused and took a breath, then turned to look at Lina.

"I know you think this is probably really crazy sounding and far-fetched, but you've got to hear me out. I _know_ we can figure this out if we think hard enough." There was a long silence. Doon's eyes pleaded at her, asking that she would believe him. It was obvious to Lina that he had put much, much, _much,_ thought into this theory of his, and the look in eyes made it hard for her to try to disagree. There were a few holes in Doon's theory, but she agreed with him that they couldn't just sit still and wait for the bandits to attack; they had to take action.

Lina nodded, not taking her eyes off his. "You're right," she said simply. Mrs. Murdo suddenly seemed to finally absorb what Doon had just said and what Lina had just told him in reply.

"Wait one minute," Mrs. Murdo held up her hands, as though she was about to break up a fight "Doon, that is an interesting theory, but what do you possibly plan to do about it? As much as I want to help stop these bandits from coming to Sparks, I don't think brainstorming about the 'hidden depth' of Booth's words will stop anything."

Doon nodded, looking eager that they at least somewhat believed his theory. "I thought about that, and I think it actually _will_ help. If we can determine the _real_ appearance of the bandit leader, we would already have an advantage. We would know what he looks like, and then spread the word to other towns, so we can all be alert."

Doctor Hester cleared her throat and spoke for the first time since Doon arrived that morning. "Pardon me for interrupting, but bandits don't normally just _waltz_ into a town. They raid it, normally in the middle of the night."

"That's true," Mrs. Murdo remarked. Doon didn't say anything, for just then there came a sound from the loft and Poppy ambled downstairs. "Doon!" she exclaimed happily, and rushed over to hug him. Doon gave her a faint smile. Poppy looked around to see the four adults standing in silence, and then she seemed to realize she had interrupted an important conversation. "What were you talking about?" she then asked. "You weren't talking about me, where you?"

Lina gave a small laugh. "Of course not, we were just...talking." They stood awkwardly for a few seconds, not knowing whether to tell Poppy about Doon's theory/possible plan. Poppy gave a slow nod, realizing that whatever it was, they weren't going to explain it to her. "I'm going to go back upstairs for a second," said Poppy suddenly. Lina knew Poppy really didn't need to go upstairs; she was only leaving so they could finish their conversation. She gave her little sister's hand a grateful squeeze, and then released her as she bounded off out of earshot.

"Maybe we should go outside to finish talking, before we accidentally wake Torren up too," suggested Lina, already feeling slightly guilty for brushing Poppy off like that as quick as she did.

"But we were told by the leaders-" Mrs. Murdo started, but was cut off by Doon.

"Like the doctor said, bandits normally attack at night, so there shouldn't be any danger in the daytime, and in the morning much less." He gave her an innocent, pleading look, and soon Mrs. Murdo complied.

"Alright Doon," Lina said, taking control of the conversation once they were outside on the porch. "Tell us the rest of your plan." Then for the next ten minutes, Doon explained his plan of how they could be better prepared. His plan was to have a person stationed on top of the Pioneer hotel and the Town Hall with telescopes or binoculars - since they could see the whole town from that elevation, - and to keep a look out for bandits. Then while they were on lookout, other people would set traps along the paths leading to Sparks, so that if the bandits came by, they would trigger the traps and alert the lookout, who could then alert the rest of the town. Of course, Doon had presented his plan with much enthusiasm and gusto, making it seem as though it was the perfect solution to all their problems. But Lina saw through his little charade. It was a very simple plan in reality, and she wasn't sure if it would really work or not, but she figured they could give it a try.

By the time he was done talking, Doctor Hester nodded her head, clearly convinced that it would work. Mrs. Murdo was a little more hesitant, and had stated, "it seems like a good plan, although there's only about a fifty percent chance of it working. It depends on how the bandits enter the town, and if they fall for the traps you want to set, and if lookout could even spot them," but agreed in the end by saying it was better than doing nothing.

"Great!" exclaimed Doon. Lina noticed something strange about the way he was acting. He was being almost over-dramatic about the whole situation, and was not like his normal, calm self. "I'll go present my idea to the town leaders and let them take over from there," he informed them.

Mrs. Murdo gave him a genuine smile. "You know, this is the first sensible plan you've ever had, Doon," she told him as joke, but Lina knew that there was much truth hidden in that comment. Doon gave a smile back and then turned to Lina. "Will you come with me? It's always safer in numbers, you know."

Lina agreed, not because she wanted to go and see Mary, Ben, and Wilmer, but because she wanted to figure out was Doon was really planning to do. She knew that his plan was _not_ going to be 'safe' and 'sensible'.

Only a few minutes later the two headed off towards the Town Hall. As soon as they were out of earshot of the doctor's house, Lina stopped walking and turned to face him. "Okay, you can cut the act with me. What's your _real_ plan?"

Doon gave her a real smile, unlike the ones he had flashed back at the house. "You know me too well," he remarked as he stared at her, his gaze holding hers a lot longer than most peoples' would. After a few seconds Lina looked down, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. "Please tell me. What do you _really_ plan to do?"

Doon continued walking towards the town hall. "Well, I fully intend to do what I said I would do back at your house. I wasn't lying."

"But that plan you just told us has so many... _holes_! Anything could go wrong! I thought you were going to actually do something to help the town, like you said you would."

"I am," Doon replied calmly, as though they were discussing the weather.

"How?" Lina asked, starting to feel frustrated. Doon stopped to look at her, a slow smile growing on his lips. "Well, if you really want to know..." he drew out the sentence.

"Yes!" Lina cried, exasperated.

"Okay, you win. Back at the house, I _might've_ left out a small, tiny, _minuscule,_ part of my plan."

"And what would that be?"

Doon's eyes suddenly seemed to light up, and Lina recognized him once again as her adventurous, headstrong partner she had escaped Ember with. "The thing is...I have _two_ plans, and the one I told you about back there? That was just the first."

 _ **Authors Note:**_

 ** _Sorry for the cliffhanger!(in the next chapter plan # 2 will be explained) and I just wanted to thank you guys for your encouraging reviews, and also to apologize once again for taking so long to upload. I also wanted to tell you that I'm going to be on a 10 day long trip in Canada, so I won't be able to update until I get back, but I promise the next chapter will be interesting! :D_**


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